Existing comment:
The Fancy Parlor:
Tavern inventories, paintings, drawings, and traveler's accounts are the pieces of evidence used to refurnish this 1840s fancy parlor. The forty-five yards of carpet listed on the tavern inventory fit a room just this size. Its inventory price is evidence that this carpet was ingrain and wall-to-wall, a type made in Philadelphia as early as the 1830s.
The style of the mahogany chairs, the arm chair, the tables, and the sideboard identify these as manufactured in Philadelphia, a center of furniture production. Since it was also a major shipping point on the Main Line of Public Works, Philadelphia products were easily obtained by the Lemons.
The piano was made by Thomas Chickering of Boston, one fo the most popular piano manufacturers of the day. Its serial number, 4713, was found in records showing that it was made in 1840. Pianos gained in popularity after 1825 and were symbols of middle class status from the 1830s to the 1870s.
The astral lamp was unique and represented high style during this period. It was the most advanced lighting device because it was powerful enough to illuminate a 360 degree area. As such, it was placed in the middle of the room on a circular table, which became the center of social activity. Compare this to candles, the typical sources of illumination, which were placed around the perimeter of a room. This lamp was made by the Cornelius Company of Philadelphia.
As you visit other rooms, notice the less fancy, or country-made furniture. The sideboard in the double dining room is a country copy of the fancy one seen here. It has been fancily painted, or grained, a technique used to give cheaper woods the look of more expensive grains and increase their visual appeal. Decorative plastics and wood veneers achieve the same effect today.
Since no known inventory for the Lemon House survives, this 1842 inventory from Owen McDonald's tavern in nearby Edensburg was used as one basis for refurnishing this room. The dollar value of each item is one clue to its style, quality, and probable area of manufacture. The values, in this case, are those for a "fancy" parlor.
1842 Parlor Inventory:
sideboard ... 20.00
piano ... 50.00
sofa ... 12.00
2 "extra" tables .. 15.00
marble table .. 15.00
12 mahogany chairs .. 18.00
2 looking glasses .. 3.50
arm chair .. 2.00
4 window blinds .. 4.00
45 yards carpeting .. 11.25
2 rugs .. 3.00
2 small stools ... 1.00
fender .. .75
astral lamp .. 3.00
2 lamps at .25 .. .50
backgammon board .. .25
3 table covers at .25 ... .775
4 picture frames at 12-1/2 .. .50
Genre paintings illustrate styles and placement of furnishings in a given period. This painting of an 1840s middle-class parlor shows wallpaper, table covers, lamps, ingrain carpet, at a piano, all of which are included in the McDonald tavern inventory as well. |